Private Tales Paradise Crumbles

[Wisteria]

Wisteria was wrapping up for the night, dawn was only a few hours away. Her feet were weary from dancing, her body felt heavy from the evenings activities. She stowed her coin carefully on her body, she had never felt unsafe, but there were rumblings. Others were claiming to be robbed more frequently, and even murders of the ladies of the night had been cropping up. Wis had been brushing it off as scare tactics, and she wasn't going to let rumors stop her.

She slipped through the crowd, graceful and quiet. Most ignored her, others stared openly. It didn't matter, she was done for the night, and her bed called to her. The crowd thinned, as did the streets. No light filtered through the alleyway she now walked softly down. She paused, something wasn't right. Her nose twitched, and her fingers curled into claws. An unknown threat that made her hair stand up.

With a quickness she couldn't intercept, she was grabbed from behind, the cold steel of a dagger dragging across the soft flesh of her throat. A yip escaped her lips, as she squirmed for freedom. She was dragged to the ground, the heavy weight of her assailant upon her. A glancing blow to her cheek rendered her useless as she felt the bite of a blade pierce and twist into her shoulder. She was going to die here, alone. Non one would even know she was missing. That hurt almost as much as the steel that was pulled from her flesh, being readied to bury it in her chest.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

This Empire in the desert was proving to be a good place for profit. Guard work for merchant caravans tended to be simple and boring with soldiers patrolling roads regularly. A few bandit attacks here and there helped deal with the boredom, but the main issue was more dealing with the heat of the day followed by the cold of the night. An annoying cycle with no good solutions he had figured out yet aside from wearing local dress.

So Roland had a full purse or two saved up. Normally this would be the point when most sellswords would blow it all in the name of entertainment buying every sort of indulgence possible. Drinks. Food. Girls. Guys. Even throwing it away gambling on dice. But he knew better than to do that. Today's feast might be tomorrow's famine. If there was some sort of work he could do then he should do it.

Luckily for the sellsword, there was a bounty out for some mysterious killer that was targeting people from the entertainment district. He was able to spend the night enjoying himself in the name of work as he also kept his eyes and ears open for this bounty. Princess was left in the care of a trusted local innkeeper for it all. She hated noisy crowds and the smell of alcohol after that brewfest incident.

A night of him spending his coins with nothing else but his own entertainment to show for it, Roland was heading back to the inn. But he stopped in his tracks when he heard a noise. A woman had yipped. It was faint but he trusted his instincts that it was real and someone was in danger. He moved towards where he thought he heard it then caught a dull glint of metal in the pale light. The weapon was raised signalling a death blow.

No armor only street clothes and no weapon aside from his dagger, Roland charged the figure. No time for thought nor caution. Even if he took a hit he would live... probably. Full force he rammed his shoulder into the figure mounted over the top of another. Hopefully they weren't built like a stone wall or the action was going to seriously hurt Roland.

"Surrender! I won't hesitate to end you!" Roland barked after the charge. His dagger already drawn and readied.

His hope and plan was that the charge knocked the assailant away and he could physically position himself between them and the victim. A glance towards them revealing a girl with fox ears and tail laying injured upon the ground. A real beauty too. Even more reason for him to pray things had gone his way.

Wisteria

 

[Wisteria]

This was the end, she would be forgotten and left to rot. For a moment she fought her assailant, fingers elongating into claws, scrabbling against the larger person. She soon gave up, it was clear she wasn't going to make it out of this alive. Wisteria could feel the icy fingers of death, just waiting to claim her. She closed her eyes and waiting for the finishing blow as cold steal touched her chest.

Blood soaked the ground beneath her, and she trembled as she awaited her fate. It didn't come, suddenly the weight was thrown from her, and she hesitantly opened her eyes. A man had intercepted the would be killer, and Wisteria silently prayed he was her savior.

The figure, after taking the blow, stepped back. They cut their losses and ran, confident he would not pursue with a woman dying in the street. He fled, like any coward would. Tears slid down Wisteria's face as she lay helpless, her eyes closed and her breath became shallow. Perhaps this was the end after all.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

The gambit paid off beautifully. Roland's charge had managed to knock the attacker away and instead of continuing to pursue their attempted murder they took off. Instinctively he wanted to chase after the coward and take them to the guard. Might be a reward, but it wouldn't matter if there wasn't. Attacking defenseless beauties in back alleys was deserving of being imprisoned before execution.

But a glance down had stopped him. She was bleeding and had tears in her eyes. He was a sellsword and general doer of jobs. Blood. Death. Disgusting filth. He had seen it all. Was pretty hardened by this point to such things.... But a terrified woman crying and injured would never be something he could ignore.

After double checking to be sure the attacker was truly gone, he bent down by the woman. First things first, he needed to stop the bleeding. While he cut off strips from his clothing to act as bandages, he spoke in a gentle tone, "Never thought I'd be lucky enough to meet such a foxy woman. What is your name beautiful? Mine is Roland."

He smirked and winked down at her as he got to work dealing with her wound.

Wisteria

 

[Wisteria]

Wisteria could feel her heart being fast, like a trapped little bird. With each small breath she felt her lifeblood spilling from her wounds, but she had been saved. The moon cast an eerie glow on them both as he bent to attend her.

He spoke, and she lifted her gaze to him as he began to tend to her wounds. He made a joke? Perhaps another time it would have made her laugh. She started to sit up, to speak, but no words left her lips. She looked at him with pleading eyes, to take her from this garish scene.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

Things weren't looking so great at the moment. She didn't respond to his words. Instead he just got a look begging him to make things better. What he was trying to do, but stopping the bleeding was only the first step. Her mental well being and getting the wound properly looked at also needed done. There was no telling if the blade was poisoned or left filthy to incite infection from the wound after all. He wasn't trained nor knowledgeable enough to tell those things so early on.

A smirk crossed his face a bit after their eyes locked. "Not the way you planned to be penetrated I assume. Don't worry. This knight is here to pick up the princess and carry her off to a healer."

Roland finished getting her wound bandaged up. Then he wrapped his arms under her and picked her up princess style. Most stable way to carry her with that wound and it left her with some dignity. No one liked being slung over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

The man smiled for her again. "If you need to cling to me then do so. Never say no to getting closer with a beauty." He gave her a wink then looked forward. Time to get her out of this alley and to the nearest healer.... Wherever one might be in this city he was still unfamiliar with. Time to start asking people for directions.

Wisteria

 

[Wisteria]

Wisteria remained silent as he tended to her. Speaking would only make things worse in this case anyways. It hurt, and it was distracting. She just wanted to sleep.

The man picked her up, and she hung limp. She ached all over, she felt cold but lacked the will to even shiver. Cold in the heat of Ragash? Odd.

Her head lolled to the side loosely, as she shut her eyes. Would she be missed, if this were the end? Was it the end?

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

The fox woman wasn't doing so well. That got a frown out of Roland as he carried her into the crowd. Now might not be the time for bravado but time to get serious if she was this out of it already. Once he got around others he began calling out asking for a healer.

Thankfully it hadn't taken long to be directed towards one. An older woman with leathery skin, pointed ears, and eyes that felt as if they pierced the soul. A quick explanation on what he had come across was given then the fox girl was taken to a back room for treatment in privacy.

Roland let them go and waited till they were out of sight then sighed heavily. His hand rubbing the back of his head as he glanced to the entry. He moved over and began to scan the crowd outside watching for the assault. He didn't know if they were trailed or if the attack was random chance or something more planned. Honestly he didn't even know who the woman was so any answers and theories would have to wait. For now he did his best to wait and stand guard just in case this whole incident wasn't over.

Wisteria

 

[Wisteria]

Wisteria slowly opened her eyes. She was groggy and dizzy, but alive. The healer had used magics and herbs to knit the skin together, but it would take time for the tender flesh to heal. She made to sit up, but was tutted into laying back down.

She questioned the woman, though her voice was low and hoarse. It was explained to her what would happened, and she expressed that the bring in the man who had brought her here. A thank you was in order.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

The sellsword kept his eyes constantly scanning what he could make out of the crowd outside. Things were picking up as night continued to shift into day. Where the entertainment district was slowing down here in the trade district things were getting more lively. The before first light crowd was stirring. It would make it harder to spot an individual once they were fully awake. But for now it was still manageable enough for him to feel secure about their circumstances.

Nothing.

Nothing was what Roland had seen out there. If this assailant was waiting and watching they were doing so on a level of skill that completely fooled him. So when the healer called for him he felt it was fine to leave without any further precautions.

Where a frown had dominated his face while keeping watch out front, Roland instantly had a smirky smile across his lips when he entered the room. His eyes quickly scanning the foxy lady over to note what all wounds existed and what had been done about them.

"Good morning Beautiful. Hope you slept well."

Roland knew the answer already. With a fresh knife wound before fainting from a mix of blood lose and shock she most certainly was going to feel more tired now than before. The main thing was to keep acting casual. The moment he showed how serious he was taking this was the moment she wouldn't be calm enough to answer questions and recover quickly.

Wisteria